Critics Target Censorship Bills Introduced in Chilean Congress
After a bill to ban memes targeting public officials was introduced and withdrawn within 24 hours in Chile, critics are calling out an increasingly censor-driven government.
Chilean Congressman Jorge Sabag introduced the bill Friday and withdrew it Saturday.
It aimed to criminalize memes, which are images with text commonly shared over social media and often used for fun, that target elected officials, according to Ultima Hora.
The penalty was a maximum of three years in jail, according to Ultima Hora, which cited Peru.com.
But in a radio interview Friday, Sabag said the project was a mistake.
Ironically, as a result of the bill being introduced, memes began appearing on social media targeting the bill's creators.
This is just one of the most recent attempts at censorship that has drawn criticism and anger toward the Chilean government.
A bill introduced in June 2011 would have hampered freedom of the press.
The bill prohibited annoying questions from journalists but was withdrawn hours after it was introduced.
Another bill in 2011 would have prevented bicyclists from freely riding along streets and restricted them solely to paths and sidewalks.
This caused an uproar among cyclists, and after pressure from citizens, the bill was withdrawn.
Some bills have been introduced to protect national interests.
In March, the government introduced a bill to repeal laws that have created a safety net for plant breeders but taken away from the small and medium farmers in the country, according to La Tercera.
The current law, known as Monsanto Law, controls the agricultural market.
The proposed bill would repeal Monsanto, which involves the company by that name operating in countries around the world.
Farmers use genetically modified seeds, but they are not allowed to keep the seeds when they're done, according to Monsanto. Additionally, if a batch of produce is bad, the company and farmers are not held liable.
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